Electric range surface unit



Dec. 21, 1948. E E. SLJ'THERLAND 2,457,007

ELECTRIC RANGE SURFACE UNIT Filed Dec. 2, 1946 2. Sheets-Shet 1 WITNESSES; d v (If/19%;

"" a vw ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1948. E. E. SUTHERLAND ELECTRIC RANGE summon mm 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1946 INVENT R 324 r L? W/L I ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

Patented Dec. 21, 1948 anaemic RANGE SURFACE UNIT Ernest E; Sutherland, Mansfield, Ohio, asslgnor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 2, 1946; Serial No. 713,516

Thisinvention relates to electric range surface units, and has forits object the provision of an improved device'o'f this character.

In a prior construction, an annular support rlng'was 'so constructedas to nest in a circular opening in the platform of an electric range. Upon an inwardly-disposedflange in this support ring, a reflector "pan with an outwardly-disposed flange was supported. A heater unit comprising a plurality of tubular sheathed heaters supported by a spider "was also supported by the support ring flange in :a horizontal position. To swing the heater unit in a vertical arcuate movement to permit removal of the reflector pan for cleaning, use was made of a ,U-shaped member which pivotally supported the terminal portions of the heater during this operation. This U-shaped member was so constructed as to hinge at one end and lockin position at the other end. However, to completely remove or replaee the heater, it was necessary to unlock the-.U-shaped member by removing a nut and screw. This allowed the bracketto be swung away, by rotating at its hinge-poinh'to clear the heater terminal portions. Such an operation was tedious and difiicuitto perform.

It is an object of this invention to provide an electric heating unit in which the heater unit can be more easily and quickly replaced or removed.

In accordance with the present invention. a bracket of inverted T shape is used instead of the U-shaped bracket. The T-shaped bracket is so formed that its vertical portion is disposed in the space between two adjacent terminal portions of the heater. The crossbar of the T- sh-aped bracket is disposed below the two adjacent terminal portions of the heater mentioned above. When the heater unit is lifted upwardly as described, for cleaning, the crossbar pivotally supports the heater at its terminal portions. If the heater is to be removed entirely from the surface unit, the T-shaped bracket does not have to be removed, since by lifting and rotating the heater the crossbar may be cleared of the obstructing terminal portions, and the heater may be removed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a device embodying this invention;

Fig. "2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-Il'. of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary bottom view showing details of construction;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view show- 2:Clalms. (Cl. 219--'37 ing the heater unitln a raised position supported by the crossbar of the inverted T-shaped bracket and further showing the reflector pan in process ofbeing-removed;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective-view showing a portion of the support ring alone with the inverted T bracket attached; and

' Fig. 6 is a top perspective view of the device, with the reflector pan removed, showing method of removal of the heater unit.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in the illustrated embodiment I provide a heater unit It) which comprises tubular sheathed heaters II and I2, and a spider 13 to which the tubular heaters are fastened. An escutcheon plate It is also attached to the spider. Each tubular heater comprises a resistance wire 15 embedded in insulation material I6 and surroundediby a tubular metal sheath 1 l. The effective portions of the tubular heaters are disposed substantially in a horizontal plane. The terminal portions, however, extend downwardly and then horizontally to :a terminal block assembly I8. Power leads i=9 are connected to the itermina-l block assembly in a conventional manner.

,An annular support :ring 20 rests on a flange 2| formed in the platform 22 and surrounding the opening 23 in the platform. The ring 20 is formed with an inwardly-extending flange 24. A reflector pan 25, which acts as a heat reflector and also as a food and crumb collector, has its peripheral portion or flange resting on the flange 24. The flange 24 also supports the heater unit 10 when the latter is in its normal operating position, the outer ends of the spider arms normally resting on the peripheral portion of the reflector. I

As best shown in Figure 4, a bracket 26 of inverted T shape is rigidly fastened to the support ring 20 in any suitable manner, in the position shown. The bracket 26 has a vertical portion 2'! and a crossbar 28. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the bracket is seen to have its vertical portion 21 disposed between two adjacent terminal portions 29 and 30 and its crossbar 28 disposed below said two terminal portions.

In order to latch the heater unit In in normal operative position in the support ring 20, the spider l3 and the ring 20 are formed with cooperative interlocking portions, as shown at 3| in Figure 2. Such interlocking portions comprise a notch or cutout in the end of the spider. arm and an extruded portion in the ring. A tension spring 32 is provided to bias the heater unit to the left to maintain the interlocking portlons in engagement. One end of the spring is connected to the lower end of the T-shaped member 26 and the other end is connected to a Z shaped clip 33 fastened to the terminal block assembly I8.

To remove the reflector pan 25 for cleaning, the heater unit In is grasped near the notch in the spider and pulled away from latching engagement by a slight horizontal movement to the right as seen in the drawings. This disengagement permits the heater unit I 0 to be swung upwardly in a vertical arcuate motion. After the initial portion of this motion, the terminal portions 29 and 30 engage and rest upon the upper edges of the crossbar 2B, which edges thus serve as a fulcrum or pivot for the remainder of the upward swinging movement. With the heater unit ID in such raised position, the reflector pan 25 may be readily removed for cleaning.

In ordinary use, the support ring 20 remains in position and only the reflector pan 25 is removed for cleaning. Sufficient access to the ring and to the underside of the heater unit is obtained when the heater unit is swung upwardly and the reflector pan is removed.

When it is desired to disassemble the entire surface unit from the range platform, the reflector pan is first removed, as above described. The spring 32 is detached from the clip 33 and the support ring 20 is then also lifted from the platform. Then, the ring 20 is manipulated to bring the flange 24 above the outer ends of the arms of the spider l3. To do this, the flange 24 is first brought around to the top of the end of the spider arm 34, which may be done withsmall angle about the T-shaped bracket as an 4' axis and by positioning the crossbar and withdrawing it through the space designated by the reference numeral 38 in Figure 1 and in Figure 6, such Withdrawal being illustrated in Figure 6.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

1. An electric surface heating unit comprising a sheathed resistance heater disposed substan' tially in a horizontal plane and having its terminal portions disposed below said plane and adjacent each other, an annular ring supporting said sheathed heater, an inverted T-shaped relative to said annular ring.

2. An electric surface heating unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said T-shaped member has a thickness substantially less than the space between said two adjacent terminal portions and is further of such limited dimensions that the T-shaped member may be withdrawn from. the space between the terminal portions to permit separation of said heater from said ring.

ERNEST E. SUTHERLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 

